{"id":132247,"date":"2025-10-14T16:20:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T23:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=132247"},"modified":"2025-10-22T14:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:27:04","slug":"death-trap","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=132247","title":{"rendered":"Death Tape Release and Chain of Evidence Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>: This timeline is part of a special report by the November 18 Project. The table of contents for the report is here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Date<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Event<\/strong><\/td>\n\n

Source<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

11\/24\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nA 7-inch reel-to-reel tape is discovered in the pavilion area of Jonestown by Richard Martin, Vice Consul of the United States assigned at Caracas, Venezuela, but on temporary duty at Georgetown, Guyana. United States Ambassador John Burke receives the tape upon his return to the Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana.<\/td>\nSerial 2016<\/a>,Serial 1894-19<\/a>,State Department Cable<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12\/4\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nVice Consul Richard Martin advises FBI Special Agents Robert J. Oglesby, Jr. and [name deleted] that on November 24, 1978, he gave what would come to be known as the “Last Hour” or “Death Tape” recording to Ambassador Burke at the Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. On December 4, 1978, Burke gave custody of the reels and tape to Special Agent [name deleted] who then marked both reels and tape for identification purposes.<\/td>\nSerial 1894-19<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12\/5\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nFBI and US embassy officials listen to the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d and discuss its evidentiary importance. The Government of Guyana requests the tape, and the embassy discusses the chain of custody. Steps are taken to copy the tape. Ambassador Burke gives custody of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d to an FBI investigator who then marks it (Last Hour) for identification purposes (12\/4\/78). FBI Special Agent Robert Oglesby telephonically advises FBI headquarters that the 7-inch reel containing a recording of the last hour in Jonestown appears to be authentic. The Government of Guyana gives permission for the tape to be brought to FBI headquarters for duplication and immediate return to Guyana.<\/td>\nSerial 906<\/a>,Serial 1894-15<\/a>,State Department Cable<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12\/6\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nIt is decided that the Government of Guyana will be supplied with a copy of the \u201cDeath Tape.\u201d The Justice Department is anxious to review the tape before its existence becomes public. The embassy is asked to send a copy to Washington D.C. without delay. FBI obtains a copy of the \u201cDeath tape\u201d from the US embassy to be taken to Washington D.C. FBI headquarters.<\/td>\nState Department Cable<\/a><\/p>\n

Serial 929<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

12\/7\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nA cassette duplicate of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d is hand-delivered to Washington FBI headquarters. The recording is assigned laboratory specimen number Q42 and a direct copy is made. The Technical Evaluation Unit begins preparing a verbatim transcription.<\/td>\nSerial 1165<\/a>,Serial 929<\/a>,Serial 1370\u00d72<\/a>,Serial 2287<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12\/8-9\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nA Federal Grand Jury begins hearing testimony from witnesses. The New York Times and the Washington Post publish articles about the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d describing its contents and printing quotes from the tape that are essentially accurate; the NYT reported incorrectly that gunshots can be heard on the tape. Washington Post describes tape as \u201cThe best evidence yet of just how the forced mass suicide was carried out.\u201d The existence of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d is confirmed by the FBI, Guyanese officials, and the State Department. Guyanese Assistant Police Commissioner Cecil \u201cSkip\u201d Roberts is quoted saying that the tape was found by a member of the United States consulate shortly after the massacre, but the tape was not turned over to the Government of Guyana until 3 weeks later. GOG thinks the tape should be released to the public. GOG complains that their copy of the tape is \u201cscratchy.\u201d Ambassador Burke announces he does not want the original \u201cDeath Tape\u201d recording to leave the US Embassy in Georgetown Guyana. The Department of Justice requests a transcript of the tape, the request is delayed by the FBI while a transcript is prepared. The transcript is eventually delivered to the DOJ on 12\/15\/78.<\/td>\nSerial 968<\/a>,<\/p>\n

Serial 985, <\/a>Serial 1165<\/a>,Serial 1540<\/a>,Serial 1622<\/a>,Serial 2375<\/a>,SDC 1701<\/a>, SDC 1702<\/a>, SDC 1955<\/a>, SDC 0006<\/a>, SDC1622<\/a>,<\/p>\n

SDC1747<\/a>,<\/p>\n

SDC 1016<\/a>,<\/p>\n

NY Times<\/a>,<\/p>\n

Washington Post<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

12\/16\/78<\/strong><\/td>\nThe FBI returns the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d to Ambassador Burke at the Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. Burke stresses that he will not allow the original 7-inch reel to reel tape to leave Guyana. Attorney General Griffin Bell confirms that the FBI had the tape and states that it will not be disclosed to the public.<\/td>\nSerial 2016<\/a>,Serial 1894-15<\/a>, Mark Lane\u2019s <\/a>Strongest Poison<\/em><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3\/13\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nMike Prokes escaped the tragedy in Jonestown on November 18th, 1978 when he and Tim and Mike Carter left Jonestown on a mission to deliver money and documents to the Soviet Embassy in Georgetown. On March 13, 1979, Prokes called a press conference in a motel room in Modesto California. In the presence of 8 reporters, he made a statement that in part focused on his belief that the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d would never be released to the public because its contents would embarrass the US government. Mike claimed that a US embassy official named Charles English and Guyanese Police Commissioner Skip Roberts listened to the tape and described what they heard to Prokes in December of 1978. According to Prokes, both Roberts and English described the solidarity of the community’s decision to die because the people of Jonestown felt they were under attack by both the United States and Guyanese governments. He concluded his statement, expressing his desire to lay down his life with his brothers and sisters. Prokes went into the motel bathroom and shot himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

The Death of Michael Prokes<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3\/14\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe National Inquirer has a tape they think might be a copy of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d and would like the Michigan State Police Voice Identification Unit in East Lansing, Michigan to confirm its authenticity. NBC\u2019s Today Show broadcasts segments of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d beginning on March 14, the day after Mike Prokes committed suicide and continued playing the tape off and on for 3 days. The FBI does not confirm or deny that the tape was authentic and claimed they did not give NBC the tape.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

Serial 2033<\/a>,Serial 2238<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3\/15\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nInternational Home Video Club, Inc., announces their intention to market cassette recordings of the \u201cfinal hours of Jonestown\u201d during the week of March. They plan to charge $9.95 per copy. The FBI claimed the tape was acquired through unauthorized means. According to Mark Lane\u2019s book, Strongest Poison<\/em>, the IHVC copy was made from the Guyana Government copy, which was of poor quality.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

Serial 2002<\/a>,ABC News Clip<\/a>,State Department Cable<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4\/6\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe House International Relations Committee requests a copy of the \u201cDeath Tape.\u201d<\/td>\nSerial 2090<\/a>,Serial 2287<\/a>,Serial 2291<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4\/26\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nFamilies of Jonestown victims request that the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d be released to the public. The FBI reiterates that they did not release the tape to NBC, and the recording is evidence likely to be used at trial.<\/td>\nSerial 2237<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5\/8\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe FBI requests custody of the original 7-inch reel-to-reel \u201cDeath Tape\u201d so it can be examined and enhanced at FBI headquarters in Washington D.C.<\/td>\nSerial 2169<\/a>, State Department Cable<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
5\/17\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nMarceline Jones\u2019 surviving family requests a copy of the \u201cDeath Tape.\u201d The FBI responds that they did not release the tape to NBC and indicates that both the Government of Guyana and the State Department also have copies of the recording.<\/td>\nSerial 2238<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
6\/5\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe original 7-inch reel-to-reel \u201cDeath Tape\u201d is picked up from the US Embassy in Georgetown and taken to San Francisco FBI headquarters.<\/td>\nSerial 2205<\/a>,State Department Cable<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
6\/13\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe FBI in San Francisco requests the FBI Technical Services Division enhance and clean up the voices in the crowd heard on the \u201cDeath Tape.\u201d The FBI pledges to send an enhanced copy to the Guyana Government following proper State Department channels. FBI Technical Services Division Washington D.C. receives the tapes on 6\/15\/79.<\/td>\nSerial 2213<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
6\/15\/79<\/strong><\/td>\nThe \u201cDeath Tape\u201d original 7-inch reel and enhanced copies are sent back to the FBI San Francisco field office. This is the last known physical location of the original 7-inch reel \u201cDeath Tape.\u201d<\/td>\nSerial 2303<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
6\/20\/80<\/strong><\/td>\nThe House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is investigating allegations that the Central Intelligence Agency was involved with Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and the tragic events in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. They request the FBI\u2019s enhanced copy of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d and want to review the transcript.<\/td>\nSerial 2468x<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
7\/30\/80<\/strong><\/td>\nThe FBI Enhanced \u201cDeath Tape\u201d is played for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and they are given a transcript.<\/td>\nSerial 2472<\/a>,Serial 2474<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: This timeline is part of a special report by the November 18 Project. The table of contents for the report is here.] Date Event Source 11\/24\/78 A 7-inch reel-to-reel tape is discovered in the pavilion area of Jonestown by Richard Martin, Vice Consul of the United States assigned at Caracas, Venezuela, but on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":132428,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-132247","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=132247"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132466,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132247\/revisions\/132466"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=132247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}